Learning To Live Again Book Two
by Dust motes in sunlight
Summary: Finally safe in the prison with a growing group of survivors as well as a growing family, Tamara and Daryl couldn't be happier. But how long can their paradise last in a world where you have to fight to survive?
1. Chapter 1

Prison. Before the Apocalypse that word had been something bad, something that was shameful and unwanted. Now, over a year into the 'new' world filled with walkers, dwindling supplies and danger at every turn, a prison was a safe haven.

Rick and his people were blessed with the safety of their prison and the people they brought into it.

The next few months went by in a flash for Tamara. She made sure she was busy with helping Carol and some of the other women that had come from Woodbury to rehouse the refugees in Cell Block C. She told herself it was because they needed help but deep down she knew she was trying to fight back the panic as she came closer and closer to her fifth month of pregnancy.

Daryl picked up on her stress and made sure to keep an eye on her knowing she was worried about losing their baby the same way as their other two. He talked to Carol and the older woman made sure to keep an eye on Tamara when he was out hunting for the group or teaching a small group of the refugees how to track and hunt.

When the date of her fifth month of pregnancy came and went and Hershel and the new doctor who had been brought back to the prison by a party that had been out on a run, Dr. S, said that she and the baby were both healthy, Tamara couldn't let herself believe it was true.

She was in the shower a few days later thinking over Dr. S's comment about how she looked healthier than the few expectant mothers he had seen since the world had changed when she jumped as two strong arms encircled her while she stood under the slow running shower head washing shampoo out of her hair.

She relaxed almost instantly when she recognised the feel of Daryl pressed against her. "I thought you wouldn't be back for at least another day."

"Found deer tracks close by, caught a big buck," was his short answer as to why his hunting trip had been cut short.

"And your group of 'loud, stupid' trackers had nothing to with yah coming back early?" she asked using his description of the group of half a dozen men and women who had volunteered to be taught to hunt three weeks before.

Daryl grunted and Tamara smiled, leaning back against him until he started to kiss and nuzzle her neck.

"Daryl, what are yah doing?" she gasped.

"Missed my wife. What's it feel like I'm doin'?" he growled in her ear.

Pulling away she turned to him trying not to get distracted by the sight of him naked and wet in front of her. "Anyone could come in. Kids could come in, Daryl. It's a communal shower."

The showers had been up and running for about a month thanks to some engineering-minded people who had connected them to the stream outside the prison and set up a pump and filter system to provide water clean enough to wash in.

Daryl's blue eyes darkened at the growing worry in her voice, "So?" She tried to step back but his hands shot out and gripped her hips. "Nah, woman, too early for anyone ta be up." He assured her.

She sighed knowing he was probably right. The sun was just starting to lighten the sky when she had come in to wash her hair.

"'Sides, I gotta say mornin' ta my two girls, now don't I?" he then dropped to his knees in front of her and pressed a kiss to the centre of her protruding belly. "Mornin' Lil Bit," he rumbled, "Yah been good for yah Momma since I bin gone?"

Tamara closed her eyes, her hands moving to rest on Daryl's head and tunnel through his hair as he spoke to his little girl or boy inside her. The stress of the last month dropping away with every word he spoke to the baby inside her and she decided that she didn't want to worry any more about things going wrong. She just wanted to enjoy the time she had with Daryl and the little one growing inside her.


	2. Chapter 2

Christmas came and went at the prison and the beginning of the new year was marked by Glenn and Maggie's wedding officiated by Hershel and attended by their group before they toasted to the happy couple with a small glass each of wine that Carol had found on a run with Maggie the week before. At eight and a half months pregnant, Tamara went to bed early and barely stirred when Daryl joined her later that night. She did, however, wake up long enough to kiss him goodbye when he got up before dawn to go out on a group hunting trip.

Grimacing, the small brunette struggled into a sitting position when a sharp pain in her lower abdomen took her breath away.

"Carol!" her call was high and frightened and the older woman was at her side panicking a minute later. When she explained what was wrong Carol smiled, "You're going into labour."

Choking back her fear and tears, Tamara grabbed her best friend's hand and gripped it tightly, "I need Daryl."

Those were the last words she said for the next hour. She sat silently on her and Daryl's bed and breathed through the small contractions as Carol got Hershel and Dr. S and alerted the others to what was happening.

While Carol was out issuing orders, Tamara looked up after a contraction that was a little stronger than the others she had breathed through to see Carl standing just inside the doorway of her cell, his eyes filled with unshed tears and complete terror on his face.

Tamara had tried to get passed what he had done in the woods the day the Governor had tried to take the prison but their relationship had been different. But the sight of the young boy looking so lost and scared had Tamara reaching out to him.

He came and sat curled up silently beside her holding her hand through a couple of her contractions before he spoke, "Don't die."

Relaxing as a contraction ebbed away, Tamara wrapped her arm around his thin shoulders, "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. I promise."

"How-how do you know that?" Carl asked in a small voice. "Mom-." he cut himself off and looked down at his hands lying clenched in his lap. "Mom wasn't meant to die, but she did. Lots of people would still be alive but we're here and the walkers are out there and-and…" he trailed off and blinked back tears.

Tamara caught his chin in the palm of her hand and turned his face up to hers, looking him in the eyes, "I've got too much to live for now. This isn't gonna kill me. You want ta know why?" Carl nodded, his grey gaze vulnerable. "Because I'm not gonna leave you, or your sister, or this baby, or anyone else, alright?"

The young boy nodded once more before giving her a hug. He then got up off the bed and with a small smile offered to get Carol before leaving the cell at Tamara's grateful nod.

Tamara was pacing frantically in her and Daryl's cell a few hours later, Carol sitting on the edge of the bed near her, a worried crease between her eyebrows. Tamara hadn't said a word since Carol had come back to her cell after Carl had called her and the small brunette had panicked and sent Hershel and Dr. S out of the room begging Carol not to let them in, she didn't want any men examining her. Carol was starting to worry about her stress levels and what it was doing to the baby.

"Sit down, Tamara. Rick and Tyreese have gone to find him. You need to stay calm," the older woman said praying that Daryl would get back soon so that Tamara would at least calm down if not let Hershel or Dr. S examine her.

The black haired woman turned tear-filled green eyes on her best friend, "I can't do this by myself, Carol. I can't do this without Daryl."

"Hey, hey," Carol murmured gently, wrapping the heavily pregnant woman in a tight hug just as she grimaced as another contraction hit. "Rick's gonna bring him back, sweetheart. That man of yours is gonna be back here freaking out while he holds you're hand and you cuss him out soon enough."

Tamara tried to hold on to that thought but as the minutes dragged on and the pain got worse, she felt that hope slip further and further away.

Carol bathed her forehead with wet cloths and tried to persuade her to let Hershel or the doctor into the room but Tamara wouldn't have it. Even the thought of letting any man near her while she was in so much pain and without Daryl there made her feel sick.

When she finally fell into a doze, Carol slipped out of the cell to talk to Hershel and Dr. S. "She doesn't want anyone in there, not even you, Hershel," she told the old man. "She's scared to death of having this baby but she's terrified she's gonna have it before Daryl gets back here," glancing back at the younger woman sleeping fitfully, Carol rubbed her arms a little, "She's so wound up I can't even tell if the baby's okay she hardly stays still long enough for me to check."

Hershel leaned thoughtfully on his crutch, everyone was worried about Tamara and the baby and he wasn't sure if it would help any if he or Dr. S tried to persuade her to let them in to the cell either.

A strangled groan came from the cell and they all turned to see Tamara curled on her side breathing through a strong contraction.

Carol turned to Hershel and the doctor, "Pray," she muttered before rushing back into the cell.

The next half an hour crawled by. Tamara barely noticed when Maggie and Beth traded turns with Carol to sit beside her and hold her hand or press cool, wet cloths to her forehead, shoulders and chest. In between the waves of pain she would sit silently and try not to think of Daryl not being there or worry that none of the men had made it back to the prison yet.

The sun had reached its peak and Tamara was laying propped up on pillows and rolled up towels breathing hard and clenching her jaw through another birthing pain when, just as the pain crested and then started to ebb away, running feet were heard echoing off the cement block walls.

Daryl skidded to a stop just inside the cell doorway and Tamara took one look at him covered in walker blood, his gore-covered hunting knife still in his hand and his hair slick with sweat, and she burst into tears, her hands covering her face.

Stepping forward to go to her, Daryl was stopped by Carol and Hershel.

"You need to wash, son," Hershel told him as gently as possible seeing the full-blown panic in the younger man's eyes.

Daryl glanced at him and then turned back to Tamara but Carol tugged on his arm, "It's only safe for her and the baby if you're clean, Daryl. Let's go." She managed to lead him reluctantly from the cell and to the showers to wash.

Tamara had barely calmed down enough to be hiccupping into her hands when he got back. She felt the bed dip and then Daryl was murmuring softly into her ear telling her to scoot forward. When she had he slipped into the space behind her and helped her sit as comfortably as possible back against his chest. He was barefoot and dressed in only a pair of black sweatpants and a black wife-beater. Beth and Maggie had already stripped the bed and put down towels and Tamara was dressed in a cotton dress that swamped her even with her large pregnant belly.

"'M sorry darlin'," Daryl whispered his arms wrapping around Tamara as she leaned heavily against him.

Lacing her fingers with his, Tamara tensed, grunted and gasped through another contraction and then collapsed back against him panting. "Don't leave again, please," she whimpered her eyes closed and her body trembling with exertion.

Daryl squeezed her fingers gently as she laced her hand over his splayed on her belly, "I ain't leavin' 'Mara."

"You feel like pushing now, Mama?" Carol asked soothingly from where she was kneeling at the bottom of the mattress.

Tamara nodded a little fearfully and then bore down.

The rest of the group was waiting in the open area near the catwalk stairs. Rick was pacing with Judith held against his chest, keeping a close eye on Carl as the boy sat with Michonne and Maggie looking worried and nervous. Glenn was running in and out of the cell block keeping the others in Cell Block C up to date with what was happening. A baby being born was big news in the prison.

The nervous energy in the room suddenly broke when the sound of a tiny infant's wail floated down from Tamara and Daryl's cell.

Tyreese broke into a grin so big that when Carl saw it he couldn't help but smile too.

It was a while later that Daryl came down the steps of the catwalk, a small pink bundle in his arms. The rest of the group moved forward to meet him at the foot of the stairs.

"She's beautiful," smiled Beth peering over Carl's shoulder.

"She's so small. Smaller than Judith was," Glenn added.

"What's her name?" Rick asked lifting Judith to a more comfortable position in his arms.

Daryl brushed the blanket back from the little baby girl's squashed face with shaky fingers, his usually intense eyes soft as he looked down at the sleeping bundle, "Emma Cherokee-rose Dixon."

Letting the others ooh and ahh over the little girl for a while Daryl then gently hitched her up against his chest and went back up to the cell he shared with Tamara passing Hershel, Dr. S, and Carol on the way.

Tamara was lying down in the bed when he walked in. She opened her eyes sleepily at the sound of his booted feet on the cement floor.

"Hey," she smiled softly her eyes dropping from his face to their daughter, "How is she?"

"Lil Bit's fine, 'Mara," he smiled, "Just sleep, darlin'." He sat down on the mattress beside her, carefully laying the tiny baby down between them and then moving to lay down facing Tamara, their bodies curved protectively around their child.

Tamara tucked the blanket a little more securely around the sleeping baby and then smiled up at Daryl, "I love you so much Daryl Dixon, you and our little girl."

"Love yah too, darlin'," Daryl tucked a lock of sweat-dampened hair behind her ear.

Wiping a stray tear from her cheek, Tamara looked down at the little baby they had waited so long for, "Mama and Daddy love yah, my sweet-pea, my little Emmy."


	3. Chapter 3

Tamara had just had Emmy when a new group of three survivors were brought back to the prison by Glenn and Maggie. There was a little boy called Max and his mother, Nell, and her sister, Janette. They had been surviving on their own since the outbreak and Tamara quickly became friends with Nell and Max took a liking to Emmy. But it was Janette that had Tamara worried. With looking after Judith and Emmy and Daryl having the responsibility of providing the meat for the ever growing survivors and being newly elected as one of the council members after Rick had given up his leader status to start farming, the couple had barely had time alone.

And then Tamara walked in on Janette trying to seduce Daryl in the C Block common room.

The hunter was obviously uncomfortable and when Janette reached out to lay a hand on his chest he shied away glaring.

"He doesn't like being touched," Tamara said, Emmy half asleep in her arms.

Janette sent her a sly smile, "Shouldn't think he would mind it after you've been too busy to do anything but feed that baby and look after the other, sweetheart."

Tamara swallowed hard and fought back the tears the woman's words brought to her eyes.

"Hell nah!" Daryl growled sidestepping Janette's attempt to touch him again and moving to stand in front of Tamara. He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and lifted her chin so that she was looking up at him, "No way in hell, darlin'," he told her emphatically.

"Oh, please, don't tell me you'd rather have her?" the redhead asked, her hip cocked and her impressive assets accentuated by the tight green tank top and body-hugging jeans she was wearing.

Daryl scoffed, "I ain't about ta have you when I got a wife that looks like her," he motioned to Tamara who was rocking from foot to foot as Emmy started fussing at the tension she sensed in her mother.

Janette, shocked that he would choose another woman over her, huffed out a breath and stomped out of the cell block.

As soon as she was gone, Tamara burst into tears. Taking Emmy from her arms, Daryl held the small baby to his shoulder with one hand and wrapped his free arm around his tiny wife, "Nah, girl. Don't even listen ta her. She's damn crazy if she thinks I'm gonna go off with her when I got a woman like yah right here."

Tamara sobbed in relief as much as hormones and shock over what had just happened, "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you so much since Emmy was born, I just-."

Daryl cut her off with a fiery kiss. When he pulled back he looked her in the eyes and smirked, "Yah gave me everythin' I ever wanted, 'Mara. Everythin'. Yah don't gotta think I'll ever choose another woman over yah, ever."

The raven haired woman reached up and pulled his head down for another kiss showing him how she felt with that simple gesture.

But that wasn't where their trouble finished. A few months later another survivor was brought back to the prison named Brian. He took an instant liking to Tamara ignoring all the warnings he got about her being married to Daryl.

Tamara tried to stay away from him as much as possible having noticed the way he watched her and hating it. The feel of his eyes on her made her skin crawl and she had talked to Daryl about it but both were so busy raising their little girl and looking after the others at the prison that they soon forgot about it until one day about six months after Emmy was born.

Tamara jumped as she walked into her and Daryl's cell after her shower to see Brian standing flicking through one of Daryl's books.

"What are you doing here?" she asked abruptly.

"I came to see you," the tall blonde grinned.

Tamara lay her towel down on the metal desk near the door not daring to step any further into the cell in case the man in front of her tried anything, "But I wasn't here."

He grinned leaning back against the cement wall at the back of the cell as relaxed as could be, "I know. But you're here now."

The small brunette watched him carefully before deciding he wasn't a threat and going about tidying the cell as best as she could without him moving from where he had planted himself. A moment later she gasped as he spun her around and backed her into the corner of the cell between the edge of the desk and where the toilet and sink of the cell used to be attached to the wall. She stared up at him her heart pounding in her chest and her breath coming in short gasps.

Brian's right hand lifted and she flinched before jerking again as his hand came up and cupped her cheek. "I know you've been lonely with your husband away so much providing for the camp and not here with you like he should be."

Tamara was frozen in place, even as Brian leaned into her she couldn't bring herself to move. Her hands were fisted at her sides, trembling, and tears were gathering in her eyes as her panic gave way to full-blown fear that turned her blood to ice in her veins.

Brian smiled and then his mouth pressed to hers.

Bile rose in her throat and she turned her face away, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"'Mara," Daryl's voice brought Tamara's panicked gaze to his and he glared from where he was standing in the doorway of the cell, Emmy in his arms, at the man standing over her. "Come here, darlin'," he said gently seeing how terrified she was.

Panting for breath, Tamara rushed to him and pressed her face to his chest, Emmy between them, and her whole body trembling violently.

"You," Daryl glared at Brian, "Get outta this cell block or yer gonna wish yah'd never looked at my wife."

Brian swallowed hard seeing the warning in the shorter man's intense stare and decided he would rather live another day than try and seduce an obviously damaged woman attached to a psychotic hunter and left the cell block as quickly as he could.

Daryl focussed on Tamara as soon as the bastard was out of arms reach and wrapped his arm around her as he called Carol over from further down the row of cells. "Take Lil Bit, would yah?" he growled handing over the sleeping six month old and then led Tamara into their cell.

He sat down on their bed and pulled her into his lap only to hear her murmuring over and over under her breath, "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry."

He caught her chin in his calloused palm and lifted her tear-stained face to look at him, "That weren't yer fault, 'Mara." Tamara started shaking her head and opened her mouth to explain only to fall silent at the hard look Daryl gave her, "It ain't yer fault, woman. Yah hear me?"

"But I thought I was safe with him, Daryl," she whispered clinging to him, "How could I be so stupid?"

Daryl glared at the cement block wall over her head and wondered what he would have to do to make the newer male population at the prison see that Tamara was his wife and not free for all.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been fourteen months since Rick, Daryl and Michonne had brought the survivors back from Woodbury and the population at the prison had grown to almost fifty men women and children. They had modified the prison to accommodate the ever-growing group as well. There were now washing lines, potted vegetables and plants and a cantina and smoke house in the prison yard outside the two cell blocks in use. The prison library was being used for lessons for the children and the shower block was operational. The main gates had been reinforced with a pulley-system operated metal gate and wooden spikes had been driven into the ground outside the bottom gate for added protection. Rick and Hershel had transformed the prison field into a large garden for vegetables with a pig sty as well as a stable for the horse Michonne had found and chose as her transportation whenever she left the prison. Everyone had their jobs and was pulling their weight. With Rick now a farmer the council made the decisions for the good of the group. Tamara couldn't believe how good their life had become and if she was going by Beth's count, there hadn't been an accident or walker death in a month.

She was walking to the cantina to get Emmy some breakfast with the little girl sitting on her hip looking around the prison yard as silent as her father, her dark blue eyes missing nothing. Dressed in a little yellow sundress and jean shorts, her curls as dark as her mother's, pulled up into pigtails on either side of her head and her favourite toy gripped tight to her body. The worn brown stuffed bear had seen better days but the little girl loved it. Smaller than Judith, she looked younger than her eight months but, according to Dr. S and Hershel, she was strong and healthy.

Suddenly, the little girl spotted Daryl striding up from the gate that led into the prison field. He had been out checking the fences where the walkers were piling up in groups. As soon as her eyes landed on her Daddy she lifted her arms out to him, he bear hanging from one hand by his paw and her small voice rose above the everyday noise as she called for him excitedly, "Dadadada!"

Hearing her call for him, Daryl changed direction and strode over to his wife and child taking the little girl from her mother's arms, "Yah bin good for yah mama, Lil Bit?" he asked her quietly.

Emmy's answer was to lay her head in the crook of his neck looking at Tamara as she curled up against Daryl's chest. "She's her daddy's girl, aren't yah, sweat pea?" Tamara smiled brushing hair back off the little girl's face.

Daryl let his eyes wander over her openly, "Just means we gotta try for a boy so he can be mama's boy."

A blush rose to Tamara's cheeks. He had been talking about trying for another baby now that Emmy was getting older. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was so he could keep her safe in the prison and ban her from runs which he had been able to do until about two months before when she had told him that she needed to start earning her keep again. This had resulted in an argument ending with Daryl sleeping out in the front gate guard tower for three nights until Tamara couldn't take it anymore and had gone up there, seduced him, and they had talked about it and agreed that she could go out on runs as long as he was with her. He had also made sure she promised to get back to the prison if anything went wrong on a run or he told her to leave so that Emmy wouldn't be left without parents.

"We'll talk about another baby later, right now I wanna talk about goin' on this run with you today," Tamara said softly.

Daryl looked at her before putting a hand over Emmy's ear and pressing her head more securely to his shoulder, "Yah ain't goin' on this one, 'Mara. Done told yah that."

Tamara folded her arms over her chest, "I'm goin' and you're gonna get over it," at the annoyed look he shot her she continued, "I'm about ta go crazy in this place. I need out for a bit, Daryl."

His jaw worked for a moment before he glared, "Yah leave when I tell yah to and no stupid risks, no matter what."

Tamara saluted him teasingly before smiling and wrapping her arms around his waist, "Thanks, love," she murmured looking up at him with her chin against his chest.

Daryl's answer was a displeased grunt before he let go of Emmy's head and stooped to kiss Tamara before hoisting his little girl to a more comfortable position in his arms and wrapping his free arm around Tamara's shoulders he led her over to the cantina to grab some food.

"Morning, Daryl, Tamara."

"'Sup, Dr. S," Daryl greeted the Indian man as he walked with a smiling Tamara to the barbeque where Carol was grilling some venison for breakfast.

The doctor's greeting set off a chain reaction and a handful of the others sitting at the cantina tables greeted him and Tamara as well.

Daryl looked a little surprised at the attention but Tamara just slipped behind Carol to grab a small bowl of oatmeal for Emmy and then one for herself wrinkling her nose at the aroma of cooking meat.

"Smells good," Daryl said as he grabbed his own bowl of meat.

Carol smirked, "Just so you know, I liked you first."

Tamara chipped in enjoying teasing her husband, "No you didn't, I did."

"Technically you love him so that's different," Carol told the younger woman as she leaned against her arm.

"Stop," Daryl drawled as he ate some of his meat before trying to explain his status away, "You know Rick brought in a lot of them too."

"Not recently. You know, giving strangers sanctuary, keeping people fed, you're gonna have to learn to live with the love," Carol told him.

"Not too much love," Tamara huffed seeing Janette walk by talking and laughing with Nell but throwing Daryl glances as she did.

Daryl caught her eye but she shook her head telling him it was alright. Kissing Carol's cheek she took Emmy from Daryl's arms and moved past him to sit at the table with Dr. S, the little girl on her knee.

She listened with half an ear to Carol and Daryl's conversation only to snort out a laugh when Patrick called Daryl 'Mr. Dixon'. Daryl tugged on a piece of her hair in warning after he shook the young man's hand before he then followed Carol toward the gate to the prison field.

"How's this little one doing?"

Tamara turned back to feeding Emmy and talking to Dr. S when he asked her that, her cheeks hot at having been caught staring at her husband's behind. "She's doin' great. Sleeping through most nights and I've started her on a little oatmeal as well as breastfeeding."

"That's good." The doctor smiled and waved at the little girl who then graced him with one of her huge smiles in return, "She looks happy and healthy. You and Daryl are doing a great job with her." he then went back to his book and Tamara focused on feeding a squirming eight month old.

Daryl joined them to finish his meat and then told Tamara to go get ready for the run they were leaving in half an hour.

Tamara grinned and kissed his cheek before lifting Emmy and taking her back into the cell block. Once there she found Maggie who told her she wasn't going on the run. The younger woman offered to look after Emmy while Tamara and Daryl were gone and Tamara agreed.

The brunette quickly breastfed her little girl and then kissed her goodbye, Maggie carrying the little girl out to say goodbye to her daddy before taking her to the cells where she had a few toys to play with before going down for her nap.

Once Maggie and Emmy had gone back inside, Tamara helped the group going out on the run to pack up the two trucks they were taking. She watched with a hidden smile as Beth and Zack talked together with Zack asking Beth if she was going to say goodbye and the blonde coyly telling him no.

"Damn romance novel," Daryl commented gruffly as he put a crate into the back of the truck.

"I think it's sweet," Tamara laughed leaning over the tailgate of the truck to put the box of supplies she had carried over into the truck bed.

Daryl stepped right up behind her on the pretence of helping her slide the box further up the truck bed to make room for other things but all he was really doing was pressing up against her, "You said we'd talk 'bout another baby later. It's later," he growled into her hair.

"Yeah, and you just called what Beth and Zack were doing a romance novel and now you're pushin' up on me with everyone around."

Daryl scoffed, "Ain't no one watchin', little girl."

A shiver went down Tamara's spine at the gravel tone in his voice but she slipped out of his reach and shook her head, "Oh no you don't, you don't get ta use that excuse. You want that, it's gonna have ta wait."

Daryl gave her a considering look and then lunged, catching her hand and pulling her closer to him, "You're ridin' with me, woman," he murmured before leading her toward his bike speaking to Sasha about letting Bob come on to the run as he walked past, "We ain't gonna do it unless it's easy."

Tamara got on the back of his bike after he had swung on and then he started it up and the convoy made their way slowly down the hill to the front gate.

Michonne had just come back and was standing near the front gate talking to Rick.

Daryl pulled up beside them and stopped the bike, turning it off and kicking down the stand. "Whoa, look who's back," he teased with a small smile for the dark skinned woman.

Tamara quickly hopped off the back of the bike and wrapped Michonne in a tight hug, "Welcome back, sweetheart," she grinned before pulling back and leaning against Daryl's shoulder.

Michonne smiled at her but then became serious, "Didn't find him," she told the hunter who nodded.

"Glad ta see yer in one piece," he added glancing over at Rick who agreed.

But Michonne wouldn't give it up, "Thinkin' of looking over near Macon." Seeing Rick's face close down she got testy, "It's worth a shot."

"Miles of walkers. Yah might run into a few un-neighbourly types," Daryl shrugged feeling Tamara tense at Michonne's words. "Is it?" he asked the swordswoman. Michonne glared but Daryl turned to Rick, "Gonna go check out the big spot. One I's talkin' 'bout. Just seein'."

Rick looked a little uncomfortable, "Yeah, I gotta go out, check the snares. Don't wanna loose whatever we caught to the walkers."

"I'll go," Michonne said.

Carl spoke up from where he was standing with Michonne's horse, "You just got here."

"And I'll be back," The dark-skinned woman smiled reassuringly before she walked to the car behind Daryl's bike and got in.

Tamara climbed back onto the back of Daryl's bike as he started it up and the convoy pulled out of the prison.

Smiling, the small brunette put her head down between Daryl's shoulders and closed her eyes, enjoying the ride to the large supermarket a few miles from the prison that the group had scouted out as a potential scavenging sight.

When they got there Daryl parked his bike and the others parked the two cars and they moved quickly to the chain link fence that surrounded the supermarket. There was already a hole in it and pieces of skin and flesh hanging from the jagged edges of the cut links where the walkers had brushed pushed past as they left the area.

"Army came in put these fences up," Daryl explained to Tamara and Bob a new survivor who had volunteered to come on the run. "Made it a place for people to go. Last week when we spotted this place there's a bunch a walkers behind this chain link keepin' people out like a bunch a guard dogs."

"So they all just left?" Bob asked confused.

"Give a listen," Sasha said and Tamara heard classical music playing somewhere close by.

Michonne looked at Sasha, "You drew them out."

Sasha smiled, "Put a boom-box out there three days ago.

"Hooked it up to two car batteries," Glenn added as he checked his rifle.

Tamara smiled, "Smart."

"Alright," Daryl got everyone's attention, "Make a sweep. Make sure it's safe. Grab what you can, we'll come back tomorrow with more people." He and the rest of the group slipped inside the chain link and slowly made their way through the army tents, Jeeps, empty supply boxes and rubbish filling the carpark of the seemingly abandoned supermarket.

The group made it to the main building without any walkers in sight and then Daryl moved to the large windows at the entrance of the shop and banged against them with his elbow.

"Just give it a second," He told the group.

Tamara moved to sit beside him where he was leaning against the low window ledge, his back to the plate-glass.

"Okay, I think I got it," Zack said from where he was leaning against the wall near the windows.

Tamara looked up at the young man, "Got what?" she asked curiously, Michonne moving to listen to the conversation as well.

"Oh, I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn," Zack smiled and sat on the ledge as well.

"He's bin tryin' ta guess for like six weeks," Daryl said a little exasperatedly.

Tamara hooked her leg over Daryl's knee, his hand covering the small rip in her jeans as he lay it on her knee, and settled in for what she could tell was going to be a fun few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm pacin' myself. One shot a day," Zack said with a small smile.

Daryl nodded and Tamara leaned forward a little to listen, "Alright, shoot."

"Well, the way you are at the prison. Your being on to the council, you're able to track, you're helpin' people but you're still being kind of ah…surly."

Tamara shared a hidden grin with Michonne wondering where the kid was taking his line of thought.

Daryl glanced at him and then away to look out at the area around him but Tamara was hanging on Zack's every word.

"Big swing here," the kid warned before pausing for dramatic effect and then guessing, "Homicide cop."

Michonne cracked up as soon as he said it and Tamara wasn't far behind.

"What's so funny?" Daryl asked with a crooked half smile as he looked between his wife and friend.

Tamara shook her head past words and then pressed her forehead to his leather clad shoulder as her body shook with suppressed giggles.

"Nothin'," Michonne grinned. "It makes perfect sense."

Daryl was silent for a second before he moved a little, "Actually, the man's right. Undercover," he nodded. Tamara could barely keep it together now.

"Come on, really?" Zack asked a little sceptical, his gaze shifting from a still hiding Tamara to Daryl's poker face.

"Yup," Daryl nodded feeling Tamara break out into another fit of stifled giggles, "But I don't like ta talk about it, a lot a heavy shit, yah know?"

As Zack nodded along with him half believing his own guess, Daryl looked away, his hand tightening a little around Tamara's knee to stop her from ruining his joke by laughing out loud.

"Dude, come on, really?" Zack asked still not a hundred percent convinced.

Daryl turned a blank look on him and scoffed.

"Alright, I'll keep guessin' I guess," Zack smiled a little bashfully.

"Yeah, you keep doin' that," Daryl said.

Tamara lifted her head and grinned at Michonne as she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"Really?" Daryl growled seeing how funny she thought the idea of him being a homicide cop was.

She shook her head, "Sorry, Daryl," she hiccupped, "But yah gotta admit that's funny," she bit back another smile at his annoyed look only to jump when there was a loud bang against the window behind them.

They turned to see that the two walkers who had been inside the shop had made it to the window and were clawing at it to get at them.

"Gonna do this detective?" Michonne asked as Daryl and Tamara got up from the window ledge.

The hunter signalled the rest of their group, "Let's do it."

Then, Glenn and Tyreese used a crowbar to leaver open the shop's automatic doors and Daryl and Michonne quietly took them both out.

Once the corpses were out of the way the group slipped into the supermarket. They broke off to look for the supplies they had been asked for.

Daryl stayed close to Tamara as much as possible but when she stepped into the feminine hygiene isle pushing her cart in front of her he veered off grimacing at her knowing smirk.

The small brunette grabbed as much as she could of the products she had been asked to get and stuffed as much as she could into the empty backpack she had thought to grab from the back of the car before getting inside. Once that was full she went back to filling her cart with diapers, formula and clothes that would fit both Judith and Emmy. Daryl met her at the end of that isle and handed her a large backpack he had grabbed off a rack. She filled that with the baby products and another after that before hoisting them on her shoulder and walking to exit. She was a few feet from the front doors when she heard a loud smashing sound from inside and yelling. Throwing the packs down she ran inside to see Daryl crouched down beside a toppled wine rack, Tyreese and Zack standing by to help.

"My-my foot is caught," Bob's voice came from under the fallen shelves.

"Alright," Daryl stood up and braced himself against the wooden shelves to help lift them, "He's just caught." He motioned to Tamara and the two men, "Come on, help me."

"What happened?" Glenn yelled from somewhere in the shop.

"Everyone's alright. We're over in wine and beer," Zack called back as the three men lifted the first shelf back into place and Tamara crouched down to check on Bob.

"Yah okay?" she asked him worried if he had been hurt at all by the movement.

"I-I'm fine. Just wanna get out," the man smiled. He then smiled up at Tyreese, "I was movin' fast, man. I drove right into the drinks," he laughed a little shakily.

Tyreese was beside Tamara now, "Man, you lucked out. If this thing had come down on you the wrong way…" he trailed off everyone knowing what might have happened.

Suddenly the ceiling caved in a few feet away and a walker dropped through, his intestines tangled in the metal and debris so that he was hanging in mid-air growling and snarling.

The rest of the group ran over and stared up at it.

"Yeah, uh, we should probably go now," Glenn said.

Daryl rushed over to where Tamara was still kneeling near Bob and pulled her up, "Out, now!" he growled before grabbing the shelf again, "Bob's still stuck. We gotta get him outta there."

"We'll get the others," Michonne said.

They all whipped around to stare as another walker fell through the ceiling, and then another, and another.

As more and more of the monsters fell through the ceiling the group was starting to become overwhelmed.

Tamara shot at one that was moving toward her and then darted down another isle. Seeing Sasha surrounded she ran to where she was and picked off the ones coming up behind the other woman before they could get to her.

She turned to see Michonne take out the rest of the walkers behind her as Sasha finished off tow and then the three women rushed through the isles trying to kill off any more in their way.

They heard Zack screaming and Tamara ran toward the sound, Michonne and Sasha a few feet behind. But they were too late, a walker was on top of him and he was covered in blood by the time they got there.

"Come on!" Michonne yelled seeing the army helicopter starting to fall through the ceiling.

Daryl grabbed Tamara's hand and the group raced out of the shop as the ceiling caved in, the weight of the helicopter bringing it down behind them.

They all stopped outside and stared at the building in front of them.

Tamara stepped closer to Daryl, his hand tightening around hers before he and Glenn grabbed the bags she had left outside and the group silently went back to the cars.

It was getting dark when they got back to the prison and Tamara and Tyreese took the small load of supplies back to cantina so that it could be split up evenly while the others that were on the council went to debrief and share the sad news of Zack's death.

Tamara made her way to the showers and washed quickly before finding Maggie and Emmy. As soon as the little girl saw her she lifted her arms and whimpering to be lifted up. Gently, Tamara held her child to her heart. But when Emmy started rooting at the front of her shirt she knew the little girl needed milk and the safety she felt when she fed.

Maggie smiled and left the mother and daughter alone. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tamara unbuttoned her shirt, unhooked her maternity bra, and lifted Emmy's head so that she could latch on. When the little baby was feeding happily, Tamara allowed herself to think about the day. She shed a few tears for Zack and a few more for Beth before she settled back, Emmy starting to fall asleep as she fed, and kicked off her boots before putting her head to the cement block wall beside the bed and closing her eyes tiredly.

She opened her eyes slowly at the feel of her hair being tucked back from her face. Looking up she smiled softly at Daryl.

"Yah good, darlin'?" he murmured his gaze dropping to Emmy asleep at her breast and then back up to Tamara's face.

"She wanted to feed before I put her down," Tamara whispered watching Daryl gently smooth a hand over Emmy's dark curls. "I'm sorry about Zack," she added seeing the sadness on Daryl's face.

He grunted before carefully lifting Emmy from her arms and laying her in the travel cot Glenn and Carol had brought back on a run just before the baby was born.

Righting her clothes, Tamara stood up and wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her face to the hollow between his shoulder blades. "This wasn't your fault, Daryl," she told him softly.

He turned in her arms and cupped her face between his hands as carefully as if he thought she'd break. "It weren't, but lettin' yah go when I knew it weren't safe," he shook his head, "Dumbest thing I've done since I left yah ta go off with Merle."

Tamara sighed knowing why he thought that. He never wanted Emmy to go through what he had been through, growing up without a mom was something he never got over and she knew he wanted to give his daughter everything he never had.

"No more runs, 'Mara," he said gruffly his gaze flicking down to the tiny girl sleeping peacefully next to them.

Tamara swallowed hard and nodded, "If that's what yah want."

"I don't wanna keep yah here when yah don't want ta be but I don't want Lil Bit ta end up alone," he told her a little haltingly.

Leaning into his touch, Tamara sighed, "Then yah gotta promise me you'll come back every time."

"Yeah, girl. Promise," Daryl growled before capturing her lips with his own.


	5. Chapter 5

Tamara was up with Emmy as the sun was rising the next morning. She put the baby to her breast as the little girl started to whimper.

Daryl woke to the sounds of his little girl drinking hungrily, Tamara sitting up in bed with her back to the cell wall and her eyes closed. Sitting up slowly the hunter made room for his wife to slip in front of him and lean back against his chest as she settled herself between his legs. His right arm came around to support the baby as well and his large left hand cradled her small downy head.

When Emmy had drunk her fill and been burped and put down to nap for a while longer, Tamara moved to sit with Daryl again.

They started just sitting as they had before but soon her husband was nuzzling and kissing her neck.

A shiver of pleasure slid down the brunette's spine as his large hand moved up over her stomach to start to unbutton her top. She bit her lip when his hand slid into her loosened neckline.

"Daryl, we can't," she whispered.

His hand stilled but he still pressed open mouthed kisses to her neck and what he could get to of the skin of her shoulder.

Her hand dropped to his knee and she curled her fingers into the worn material of his pants and tilted her head to the side slightly to give him more access to the sensitive skin of her neck.

Their breathing started to get heavy and Tamara knew they didn't have much more time alone. Needing to taste him she pulled away and turned, reaching up to thread her fingers through his long hair and pull his head down, letting him slant his mouth over hers, his tongue stroking and exploring, dominating her mouth.

The ringing of the alarm clock down on the lower level heralded the arrival of six a.m. and an end to their hot and heavy make out session.

Daryl pulled away until his forehead was resting against hers, his hand still tangled in her long dark waves.

Neither of them said anything just shared one last lingering kiss before they got up off the mattress and started to get ready for the day.

Tamara pulled on a clean shirt and tucked the soft flannel one she slept in under her pillow before starting to straighten the bed sheets. She got distracted, however by Daryl stripping off his shirt and quickly washing off the stickiness of a hot night with the small bowl of water and wash-cloth she kept in the corner of their cell on the metal desk. She let her hands stop in the middle of pulling up the bed covers and leaned forward onto her palms. Daryl looked amazing. Even with the scars littering his back, Tamara's breath still caught every time she saw the contours of the muscles in his back move sinuously under his tanned skin, the two winged demons tattooed down his right shoulder blade seemed alive, moving with him.

Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear she left the bed half made and walked up behind him.

He seemed to sense her and turned his head slightly toward her.

Reaching out Tamara brushed her fingers slowly over one of the scars near his left shoulder, "I want us to talk about having another baby," she breathed.

Daryl turned to her then, he reached out and with calloused fingers he lifted her chin so that her bright green gaze met his intense blue.

"Yah sure, darlin'?" he murmured in his gentle calming voice.

Nodding, Tamara let him step into her and cup her jaw, bringing her up onto her tip-toes as he kissed her hard, his tongue plundering her mouth as he led her backwards toward the mattress. He was about to lay her down on it when a quiet voice called from outside the sheet hanging across their doorway.

"Tamara, are you awake?" It was Nell.

Reluctantly Daryl pulled away, "Later, 'Mara," he promised before dragging on his dark khaki shirt and doing up the buttons as he pulled the curtain aside and nodded silently to Nell and a sleepy-eyed Max before glancing once more at Tamara and then grabbing his crossbow and striding out towards the catwalk.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt?" the tall, willowy redhead asked, her little boy moving to lie down in Tamara's half made bed.

The morning routine was so ingrained now Tamara barely even noticed and instead shook her head with a smile.

"I was expectin' you," she grinned at her friend.

Nell and her son had moved into C block the day they had arrived at the prison eight months before and Nell usually looked after Emmy whenever Tamara needed to help out around the prison.

"I just needed him somewhere safe while I go and help with breakfast. Is that okay?" Nell asked hopefully.

Tamara smiled, "Course it is, sweetheart. All he does is nap for a while anyway. And he's always so good with Emmy. He's my little helper."

"Thank you so much," Nell hugged her.

"Think nothin' of it," Tamara smiled.

With another hug, the tall woman kissed her son's brown curl covered head and then slipped out of the cell.

An hour later both Emmy and Max were up and ready to go down to the cantina for breakfast. Daryl, who always came back to join his women for breakfast, pulled the curtain back for Tamara, carrying Emmy and four year old Max at her side, to leave the cell. He then lifted Emmy from Tamara's arms and followed her and Max down the catwalk steps.

They had just made it to lower level when there was a muffled bang, and then another.

Daryl moved quickly to check that the Tombs' gates were locked and then handed Tamara a pistol. "Yah don't leave this block till I come for yah, understand?" he told her.

Tamara nodded and then he was gone to check on to the rest of the prison. She got the kids into Beth's cell and then helped Hershel make sure that everything else was okay while Daryl, Sasha and Tyreese rushed out to check what was happening.

Hershel went to check up on things when it had been quiet for a while.

Maggie and Carl came in about fifteen minutes later supporting a limping Michonne.

"What happened?" Tamara asked; Daryl's gun still clenched in her hand.

Maggie led Michonne to the cell the dark skinned woman used when she was at the prison and helped her sit down on the bunk. "Patrick died last night; they think it's some kind of flu. He attacked D Block. Everyone that went in ta help and whoever lives there is exposed ta whatever this is. We can't get too close ta any of them ta make sure the sickness doesn't spread any further." She explained.

"Daryl?" Tamara asked worriedly, her chest tight with fear.

Maggie looked up at her, "Rick said he's okay but they can't come near us for a while, especially not with Judith and Emmy."

Tamara nodded and then went out to look after the children while Beth came and wrapped Michonne's ankle, Judith on a blanket on the floor because she had been teething and didn't want to be away from Beth.

It was another twenty minutes before she heard anything from Daryl. He came to the steps that led out to the prison yard and Tamara, who had been looking out for him from the high windows at the end of the catwalk rushed out to talk to him.

"What's happening?" she asked when she saw him.

Daryl wiped a hand across his forehead pushing his long hair out of his eyes, "We're clearin' the survivors out but Hershel doesn't think we should risk clearin' out the cell block. Too dangerous if more people were infected."

Tamara nodded and turned her head away as a tear slid down her cheek, "You're okay?"

Daryl took a step toward her before stopping himself, "'Mara, I'm fine, girl."

Swallowing hard, Tamara bit her bottom lip, "I just never thought we'd have ta fight a sickness inside our home." She tried to hide the fear on her face but Daryl saw it plain as day.

"Everythin's gonna work out, 'Mara. Yah gotta believe that coz I need yah ta look after Lil Bit 'til Hershel or the doc say we can come outta quarantine." Daryl ran a hand through his hair, chewing on to the inside of his lip as he moved from foot to foot restlessly, "I ain't gonna get sick, darlin'."

Tamara watched him knowing he felt useless and was angry because of it, "Promise?"

The hunter stopped his shifting and looked her right in the eye, "Promise, 'Mara."

With a final look, Tamara stepped back into the prison block and closed the outer door. She leaned her forehead against the metal door and just breathed for a few minutes before she recognised the feel of her body telling her to go feed her daughter.

She made her way to the cell where Beth had put Emmy down for her nap only to hear the young woman talking to Michonne as she bandaged her ankle.

"All these widows and orphans but, what do yah call someone that lost a child? You'd think someone woulda given that a name." Beth said.

Tamara stopped in the cell doorway, "There's no name for the pain of losing a child because there ain't any way ta sum up that agony in one word." She saw the grief in Michonne's eyes at her words and realised that this woman held an excruciating secret close to her heart, one that Tamara could identify with completely.

Beth looked up a little horrified at what she'd said, "I'm so sorry, Tamara, I-I didn't mean it that way."

Tamara smiled sadly, "It's alright, sweetheart, it doesn't hurt so much anymore." She turned a gentle smile on Michonne, "I told yah once that I'd lost a baby since this world had gone ta hell, I lost one before that too." She wrapped her arms around her body and looked Michonne in the eye, "I never thought it would but it does help ta share what happened with others, especially those that have been there."

Michonne's jaw clenched and Tamara knew it was time to step back and let the other woman come to terms with her loss at her own pace.

Beth on the other hand looked confused and was thankfully distracted by Judith crying.

Unfortunately, as soon as Judith started up, Emmy started to cry as well.

Tamara sent Michonne one more comforting look before she slipped away to look after her baby girl.

Emmy was hard to settle which was a little unusual for the typically quiet little girl but Tamara dismissed it as teething and moved to feed her. Max and Nell were sitting on the metal steps that led from the catwalk down to the lower level cells and Tamara smiled at them both knowing they were worried about Janette who had been in Cell Block D when the turned survivors massacred a lot of the people asleep in their beds. She paced with Emmy in her arms, the little girl still fussing even after she had been changed, burped and fed.

As she walked past the Michonne's cell again she saw her sitting on the floor holding Judith to her chest, tears sliding down her cheeks, Tamara forced herself not to go to her knowing that she needed to grieve and heal, that she just needed to cry and hold Judith.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, after a fitful night, Tamara was awakened to the news of others from Cell Block D coming down with the sickness. She had barely seen Daryl or any of the others that had been exposed to the walkers and sick in D Block. And so, after settling Emmy and Max with Nell in her and Daryl's cell, Tamara walked out of C Block to start organising some food for everyone, Maggie and Beth helping her.

She had just put a large pot of water to boil on the barbecue for oatmeal and a little of the leftover meat that had been smoked a few days earlier, when she heard a rasping cough behind her.

Turning quickly she came face to face with Brian. "You-you need to go to A Block," she stuttered seeing the blood staining his lips and his clammy, pale skin. The glassy look in his eyes frightened her and she took a step away from him only to have his hand shoot out and wrap around her wrist in a crushing hold.

Without a word he dragged her against his chest and pressed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss.

"Hey!" a man's voice yelled and he was dragged away by Bob, a survivor that Glenn and Daryl had brought back during winter.

Sobbing Tamara watched as Brian laughed manically before choking on his own blood and coughing a spray of crimson into his hand.

"Take him to A Block!" Maggie shouted at Bob over the sound of the hacking cough.

Tamara stood shaking, her ears ringing as she tasted copper on her tongue and realised she couldn't go back to Emmy now that she had come into contact with someone who was infected. Heart hammering in her chest she took off, running to where she knew Daryl was having a meeting with the still healthy members of the council.

She burst through the door of the library and saw Daryl's eyes darken with worry as she crossed the room and threw herself into his arms, shaking against his chest.

"What is it, girl? 'Mara, is it Lil Bit?" he murmured in her ear, tipping her face up with a knuckle under her chin. And then he saw her split lip and dark anger hardened his features, "Who the hell hit yah?" he snarled.

Tamara shook her head and told him in quick, frightened words what had happened with Brian.

By the time she was finished Daryl's chest was heaving as he tried to keep his anger in check, "I'll kill 'im." The hunter made the promise in such a calm, cool voice there was no way to think he wouldn't do as he promised.

"You have to take your group for these antibiotics," Hershel, ever the even-keeled advisor told him softly receiving a sharp glare for his trouble. "Take your group and Brian will have to go to A Block to try and keep the sickness contained."

"He don't get ta do this and get away with it," Daryl growled his jaw working as he held his trembling wife closer to his chest. "That sumbitch don't get ta touch her like that 'nd live."

"I understand that, son," Hershel spoke evenly trying to avoid the murder he could see in the younger man's sharp gaze, "But right now our focus needs to be on getting the medicines that our people need."

Daryl nodded silently but reluctantly as he held Tamara tightly and dropped a kiss to the crown of her head, her shaky breath brushing over his bare chest at the open neck of his grey shirt.

Tamara heard the other council members leave the room and clung tighter to Daryl. "I can't go back ta Emmy," she murmured. "I can't go back ta our baby." Saying those words out loud broke the dam holding back her tears and she dissolved into body wracking sobs.

Daryl put his bow down on the table beside them and sat in the chair he had been sitting in for the meeting, pulling Tamara's petite body onto his lap and holding her as she slowly calmed down.

"Everything's gonna be alright, darlin'," Tamara heard Daryl whisper gruffly against her hair. "Yah want me ta ask Nell ta look after Lil Bit until we know yah ain't sick?"

Tamara nodded before she pressed her forehead to his, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, letting it out slowly, "If I can't go to her I need ta come with you and the rest of the group you're takin' on this run for medicine, Daryl," she told him carefully knowing he wouldn't like her asking to come along. "I can't stay here and not see her and I need to do something to make sure everyone else is safe."

Daryl sat back in his seat and chewed on the inside of his lip, his eyes slipping over her face as he mulled over her words.

When Tamara was sure she was about to snap at him if he didn't answer her soon, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear with his calloused fingers and nodded, "Okay. But yah gotta do what I tell yah, girl 'nd no stupid risks, yah hear?"

Tamara nodded and then curled into his arms again, "I promise, baby," she muttered.

They stayed curled together for as long as possible before Daryl sighed that they had to go get ready for the run. The couple walked out of the room and made their way to C Block to get some supplies together. Daryl took care of asking Nell to look after Emmy and explain what had happened before he walked out of the cell block to get a car ready for the 50 mile trip to the veterinary college where Hershel thought there might still be the drugs they needed. Tamara organised a pack for the group with a first aid kit, water, rations and a few other things she thought they'd need before she grabbed the pistol Daryl had brought back for her from a run a few months before and checked the buck knife she always carried on her hip before she walked out of the cell block and met Daryl at Zack's Mustang to help load it up as the others arrived. She caught up with Bob on the way and offered her help to carry some of the supplies he had in his hands.

"Everything look alright?" Bob asked as he and Tamara carried the supplies to where Daryl was doing some last checks on the car they were taking out on the run.

"Yeah," Daryl said as he put his leather vest into the driver's seat of the car, "Zack kept this thing runnin' real good."

Tamara busied herself with putting supplies into the trunk while Bob and Daryl talked.

"This Zack's car?" Bob asked her husband.

"Yep, fastest one we got," Daryl explained. "You alright?"

Tamara looked up to see an almost shameful look on Bob's face silently looking at Daryl and asking with her eyes if he knew what was wrong. At Daryl's small shrug, Tamara turned back to putting her back pack on the middle back seat.

"You really want me comin' along?" Bob asked Daryl who patted his pockets and then reached into his back pocket and pulled out the slip of paper Hershel had given him with the names of the medications they needed to find.

Holding it up he pointed to the first name on the list, "What's that word?"

"Zanamivir," Bob said easily.

Daryl didn't even look at him, just walked back to the front of the car throwing over his shoulder as he did, "Yeah, we need yah."

Hearing footsteps, Tamara looked up to see Tyreese striding toward Daryl, "What's up?" the hunter asked leaning against the side of the car in front of the driver's door, his crossbow within reach. Tamara rounded the hood of the car and leaned against the front left edge of the bumper as Daryl greeted the taller man.

"You still got room for one more?" Tyreese asked.

Tamara was shocked by the bruised cut on his right cheek bone, his split lip and his black eye which was almost swollen completely shut.

"Hell, yeah," Daryl squinted up at him.

"Okay," the tall man nodded, "Just gotta get my gear."

At Daryl's nod he turned and jogged off toward C Block. "All right," Daryl said as he picked up his crossbow and checked the tension of the string.

Tamara stepped up beside him and cocked her hip on the edge of the car hood, "What happened to his face?" she asked quietly so that Bob, who was going over the supplies they had in the trunk, wouldn't hear.

Daryl kept his gaze on his weapon, "He 'nd Rick got into it after he found Karen and David's bodies." Tamara tensed and he continued, "Some sumbitch killed 'em, dragged them out behind the cell block and burned the bodies."

Feeling sick at the thought, the small brunette shook her head, "Who'd do something like that?"

Shrugging, Daryl looked at her and ran his thumb carefully over her split lip, before answering, "Some people are just broken, 'Mara," he said and she could see the anger still simmering in him for what Brian had done.

Catching his hand before he could turn away, Tamara pressed his palm to her cheek, "I'm scared of him, Daryl. I'm scared of him and it makes me so mad because I don't wanna be scared of him."

His shoulder's tensed with anger, "He ain't touchin' yah again, girl. 'Nd if life's fair he'll die of this sickness before I get ta him."

Closing her eyes, Tamara stepped into him and hugged him tight, feeling his arms wrap around her and calm slip through her veins at the thought of him protecting her with everything he had.

They stepped away from each other when Tyreese and Michonne walked back to the car.

Once everyone was ready they piled into the vehicle. Daryl was driving with Michonne in the front passenger seat while Bob sat behind Michonne and Tyreese sat behind Daryl, Tamara between them.

They left the prison easily and had been on the road for about half an hour when Daryl's voice broke the quiet of the car.

"Hey," he said to Michonne, "I know yah weren't runnin' off. The thing is, that trail went cold, yah know that, right?" he asked her. When she didn't answer he continued, "If it's any different, I'd be right out there with yah."

She looked at him and then away and Tamara saw his eyes flick to her in the rear-view mirror. She knew he would be, to avenge his brother and to keep his family safe, he'd leave and hunt down that monster if it meant that Emmy wouldn't have to live in fear of him. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and prayed their baby girl was okay.

The sound of white noise from the radio brought her back to the present and she opened her eyes to see Daryl turning the radio dial trying to find anything but static.

"Why don't yah hand me one of them C.D.s right there," he asked Michonne inclining his head toward the glove box in front of her.

The dark skinned woman pulled out a leather case and started flicking through it.

And then everyone froze as what sounded like a voice came over the frequencies Daryl was flicking through.

"Was that a voice?" Bob asked shocked.

"Shh!" Daryl snapped before finding the voice again.

_"__Terminus…survive…alive…terminus..."_

They were all so caught up that none of them were looking out at the road. Tamara happened to look up and that's when she saw the walker stumbling out into the middle of the road, "Daryl!" she cried out.

He looked up and yelped, his hands flying to the wheel as he slammed his foot on the break and tried to swerve out of the way. But it was no use, he clipped that walker only to have to swerve to try and avoid another, and another before he finally got the vehicle under control. They crested the hill a moment later and Daryl slammed on the breaks, bringing the car to a jerking halt as walker after walker surrounded the car and started slamming their hands against the glass and metal. More and more of them shuffled forward and crowded around the car, snarling and trying to get in.

"Grab somethin'!" Daryl snarled out before he put the car into reverse and put his foot down on the gas.

Tamara flinched back into her seat, Tyreese's forearm flinging out to brace her back against the back seat as walker after walker was mown down.

Suddenly, the car shuddered to a stop and the back tires spun uselessly.

"Go to the left," Michonne pointed but the more Daryl tried to manoeuvre them out, the more the tires spun trying and failing to find purchase.

"It's jammed up!" he snarled before changing his mind, "Alright, we gotta make a run for the gaps right there," he pointed out Michonne's window. "We're gonna make a run for the woods and yah don't stop for nothin', yah hear me?!"

Tamara felt panic building in her chest but she nodded knowing Daryl was worried about her more than himself or the others.

He waited a beat before yelling, "Now!" he slammed his hands against the sunroof dislodging it and throwing it from the top of the car. Michonne was out the passenger door in the next second as Daryl climbed out through the open sunroof. Bob ripped off his seat belt and then jumped out of the backseat, Tamara a moment behind him dodging the hands of walkers as she pulled out her buck knife and followed him through the rapidly closing gaps between the walkers. Tamara slipped past Bob as he pulled out his gun and started shooting. She made it to Daryl's side only to hear Bob yelling, "Ty! Ty!"

Tamara took a step toward them only to have Daryl catch her arm, his own knife dripping gore and walker blood as he stepped forward with Michonne to try and get to the tall man fighting a herd of the undead singlehandedly.

"Go!" Tyreese yelled out downing every walker that got close with a single swing of his hammer, "Go!"

Michonne, Bob, Daryl and Tamara were driven back by a dozen or so walkers that had noticed they were standing nearby and they were forced to run into the trees lining the side of the road.

They moved as a group weaving in and out of the walkers that had been drawn from the forest in front of them as well as making sure the ones that had followed them from the road didn't catch up.

Daryl seemed to manage to keep Tamara near him and away from the few of the walkers that caught up, cutting them down with a hastily loaded arrow from his crossbow or a stab of his buck knife before the four of them made it to a clearing and stopped.

They stopped to catch their breath at Daryl's order, "Hold up." He put his crossbow down and took the time to reload it as they waited with baited breath for Tyreese to follow them out of the trees.

A few bushes and tree branches started shaking and Tamara put her hand to Daryl's back, the four of them watching as two walkers stepped out of the undergrowth; only for one of them to have the back of its head caved in by Tyreese's hammer.

The large man fell to his knees covered in brain matter and blood, exhausted. As the rest of the group stepped forward the second walker turned to Tyreese only to get Michonne's sword through its head.

Daryl and Bob grabbed Tyreese and helped him to his feet while Michonne and Tamara led the way as the rest of the walkers burst through the trees and continued to relentlessly follow them.

It took an hour or two but the group managed to lose them by getting out of sight and then letting the mindless creatures wander on. Hiding behind a thick tree trunk Tamara was held tight with her back to Daryl's chest, her knife in her hand and his crossbow loaded and ready. The others had spread out and hidden by themselves until the walkers had shuffled past. Her heart pounding with adrenalin, Tamara had to put a hand to her mouth to stifle her harsh breaths as one after the other the walkers disappeared into the forest and then the sound of their dragging footsteps faded away.

Stepping out of Daryl's hold she sheathed her knife and they waited for the others three to come find them.

"Everyone alright?" Daryl asked gruffly when Michonne, Bob and Tyreese walked out from between the trees. At their nods he looked up to judge the position of the sun, "We've lost too much daylight. Best bet's ta make it a few more miles on foot them set up camp."

Tamara could see the rage and grief swimming in Tyreese's eyes, "You want us to stop? We do that and we lose a night."

Daryl's voice was hard when he answered, "Walkin' about in the dark in these woods means we're more 'n likely ta meet a herd or get attacked. We walk for a few more hours then we make camp." His tone left no room for argument and the taller man wisely didn't say anything else.

The next few miles through the forest was silent and when they stopped to make camp, Tamara couldn't take it anymore. Turning to Michonne she pulled the buck knife from the sheath at her hip, "I'm going for a walk," she announced.

"Not alone yah ain't," Daryl told her not looking up from where he was stringing some wire at waist and chest height around the trees circling their camp in case walkers stumbled through at night.

Tamara ignored him and ducked under the wire before striding off through the trees. She heard his footsteps behind her a few minutes later and scrubbed angrily at the tears building in her eyes.

They were out of sight and earshot of the camp when he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, pushing her up against a tree trunk. "Yah wanna get yourself killed, woman?" he snarled keeping his voice down in case there was a walker nearby.

Tamara slapped his hand away and then pushed at his chest, "I'm not a child, Daryl and I don't need protectin'. Just leave me be. I need some time." She looked away as a tear tracked down her cheek.

But he saw it and caught her chin between calloused but gentle fingers, turning her face toward him, "Darlin', Emmy's gonna be fine. As soon as yer cleared by Hershel yah can go to her again," he saw the trembling of her chin and knew she was close to losing control of her emotions. "She ain't alone, girl. She's gonna be fine 'nd so are you."

Tamara shook her head, "You don't know that, Daryl. What if I get sick? What if I d-?"

He cut her off with a fiery kiss, his mouth slanting over hers as though he could wipe out the possibility of her dying just by the force of his lips on hers and the tight hold of his arms wrapped around her. When they broke apart they were both breathing hard, "Yah ain't gonna die and yah ain't gonna get sick," he seemed so sure but Tamara knew that the only guarantee in their lives now was that when they did die it wouldn't be peaceful. Daryl kissed her again, softer this time, "We're gonna get this medication and then we're gonna go back ta Emmy and the rest of our family."

Tamara took a deep breath and leaned into him, pressing her face to his neck taking comfort from the familiar smell of leather, the woods and sweat that clung to his skin and letting everything fall away; trusting that he would make sure they all got back to the prison safely.

The next morning, after a breakfast of dried venison and water, their group broke camp and travelled a few miles to a creek on Daryl's map. Stopping on the bridge that spanned the quick flow of water, Michonne, Bob, Daryl and Tamara discussed the best route from where they were to the veterinary school where Hershel believed they'd find the medicines they needed. Tyreese walked down to crouch by the small river, pulling off his dark t-shirt that was still caked in gore and walker blood he started to wash it in the water, squeezing it out, the water running less and less bloody each time.

Once they had settled on a course Daryl called out to him, "Yo, Ty! Come on, let's go. ¿Va manos?"

When he didn't answer, Daryl, Tamara and Michonne picked up their things and started off toward the road that led to the town where they were hoping to get a car to take them the rest of the way to the veterinary school.

Tyreese and Bob caught up a few minutes later and they continued on as a group. A while later, as they were following a dirt track to the town Daryl knelt down suddenly and picked up a small stone.

"Isn't that Jasper?" Michonne asked as he licked his thumb and rubbed it over the stone bringing out the soft green colour of it. Daryl grunted in reply. "It's a good colour," Michonne continued, "Brings out your eyes."

When he looked up at her she ginned mischievously making Tamara smile softly as she looked on.

Daryl looked up at her, "When Mrs Richards went into A Block, we were leavin'. Asked me ta keep a lookout," he explained. "I'm gonna use it for her old man's marker." He got up and looked at the stone in his hand again.

"You know all of them back there?" Michonne asked him.

Daryl didn't look at her and started walking on, throwing the rock up and catching it again, speaking as he went, "You stay in one place more 'n a couple hours, yah'd be surprised what yah pick up."

Tamara saw the hurt on Michonne's face at his words and moved to put a hand to her shoulder, "I'm sorry that he keeps throwing that in your face, sweetheart. He's just hurtin'."

With a sigh, the dark skinned woman started to follow him, Tamara at her side, "Did he just want me to let it go? Just forget that the Governor's out there somewhere probably planning some sort of revenge?"

Shrugging, the petite brunette sighed, "There's a lot that we don't have time for anymore," she murmured, "Holding a grudge or hunting down one man for revenge is one of them." Michonne didn't say anything and Tamara knew she was mulling the words over. Catching her hand she squeezed it reassuringly, "And just so you know, if I could have, I would have gone out with you too. But right now we need our family around us and you are part of our family whether you want to be or not," she smiled and bumped Michonne's elbow with her own.

Breathing out deeply, the swordswoman smiled at her, "I've missed talking to you, you know."

"I've missed talking to you too," Tamara smiled before squeezing her hand once more and then moving off to catch up to Daryl.

The track led to a road which they followed for a mile or two and came upon what was once a garage and gas station but was now abandoned with ivy covering most of the front of the building. Their group passed it only to have Daryl stop and stare at part of the ivy that had grown up beside the garage and over a broken tree.

"You see something?" Bob asked him.

"I don't know," Daryl said still staring at it, "Maybe." He moved around it and slipped behind, "Hey, clean this off!" he called, his voice muffled by the foliage.

Michonne and Tamara kept a lookout for walkers while Bob and Tyreese dragged away the ivy, revealing a minivan with Daryl already inside trying to hotwire it. Giving up he got out of the vehicle, "We gotta find us a new battery." He sighed and then looked at the window that had been revealed on the side of the building now that some of the ivy was pulled away. Trying to see inside he spat in his hand and reached out to wipe at the filthy glass only to shy away when a walker slammed against the glass from the inside. "Got some friends inside, c'mon," he warned the group before grabbing his crossbow and leading the way further around the building to the rest of the ivy and tree branches that were covering the front of the garage. "Let's clear a path. See what we got."

Tamara moved up between Michonne and Daryl and started pulling at the ivy and branches she could get to. The sound of Tyreese hacking almost frantically at the plant made her look up and caught the other's attention as well.

"Man, go easy," Daryl advised, "We don't know what we're dealing with."

But she could see that he was slowly losing control as he continued to slash at the foliage before his machete became stuck on something. He dragged it out roughly, the curved tip wrapped in wires covered in red and white plastic. Pulling it off, he continued hacking at the ivy.

Tamara shook her head and turned back to the plant in front of her only to cry out as a walker's hands shot out through the ivy and grabbed a hold of her wrists. Michonne had spun away to help Bob fight off a walker while Tyreese and Daryl were struggling with their own undead. The walker's decaying face broke through the greenery a moment later and Tamara tried to jerk away only to have the monster, which had once been a large man from what she could see, drag her toward it, it's jaws snapping at her face and the only thing that kept it's nails from biting into her skin was that she was wearing a grey, light cotton shirt over her black tank top, the sleeves long enough to cover her hands to the knuckles.

Struggling to keep her throat away from its jagged teeth and gagging at the stench rolling off of it, the small brunette felt herself sliding closer and closer to the hanging ivy and the walker's rotting body. "Daryl!" she screamed unable to break its hold.

And then suddenly Michonne and Daryl were there. Her husband slammed his large buck knife into the walker's head just as Michonne grabbed her around the waist and dragged her back. Panic still pounding though her she felt Daryl grab her and nearly lift her off her feet as he hugged her tight. They heard grunting and turned to see Tyreese continue to struggle with his walker.

"Tyreese!" Bob yelled at him.

"Ty!" Daryl snapped seeing he wasn't going to let go.

Suddenly, the big man dragged the walker out of the ivy, falling back as the thing fell on top of him. Daryl let go of Tamara and grabbed the blue work-shirt the thing was wearing, hauling it off Tyreese and onto the concrete at their feet before Bob stepped forward and shot it through the head.

Daryl helped Tyreese to his feet and then turned back to Tamara, pulling the sleeves of her shirt back to make sure she hadn't been scratched by the walker that had grabbed her. She dimly heard Michonne ask Tyreese, "Why the hell didn't you let go?" at his silence, the dark skinned woman shook her head and turned to Bob to make sure he was okay. Trembling, Tamara looked up at Daryl and searched his face and chest to make sure he wasn't hurt either. She jumped when he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "Yah good, darlin'?" he asked her softly, his back to the others, his wide shoulders blocking her from them.

Swallowing hard Tamara nodded and slipped her hands under his vest and around his sides, stepping into him and pressing her face to his chest. He held her until the trembling of her body had stopped and then he turned to the group, letting go, "Let's get inside."

Bob and Daryl went into the small workshop store while Tamara, Michonne and Tyreese stayed outside.

"Go sit down." Tamara looked up to see Michonne watching her. "You look like you're gonna feint."

Putting a shaking hand to her forehead, the small brunette took a breath and smiled wanly, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Shrugging her friend nodded toward a pile of ivy they had pulled off the minivan, "Go ahead. I'm not judging."

Taking a deep breath through her nose, Tamara let it out slowly, "Nope, I'm just gonna sit down here." She sat with her back to the sign in front of the garage, her head between her raised knees and closed her eyes, concentrating on the sound of Michonne and Tyreese clearing more ivy off the vehicle they had found and having a heated discussion about what he had been thinking when he didn't let go of the walker.

Just thinking about it made Tamara's stomach roll and she turned to the side and lost the small amount of food and water in her stomach as quietly as possible.

"You okay?"

Wiping her mouth on the back of her wrist she nodded at Michonne's question before getting to her feet a little unsteadily and accepting the bottle of water the taller woman handed her, "Sorry, guess I'm outta practice with this," she felt like she was the weakest link in the group and couldn't bring herself to look at her friend as she rinsed her mouth out with a little water and swallowed another mouthful before handing back the plastic bottle.

Michonne, however, wouldn't have it, "That's not your fault. You've been looking after two kids and making sure everyone at the prison is fed and happy. You deserved the time away from this," she motioned to the walker corpses still lying where they'd fallen, "You're allowed to let it affect you."

Sighing, Tamara smiled a little at Michonne, "I'm glad you're here, sweetheart. It's good ta have someone that understands."

Michonne glanced up as Daryl and Bob walked back out of the garage, "He's not that bad is he?" she teased nodding at Daryl.

Tamara smiled, "No but we've both been so busy that we hardly get time ta just be together, yah know?"

Michonne shrugged, "Make time. Before you don't have it anymore," she told Tamara in her typical straight-forward fashion.

With a smile, Tamara hugged her before moving to Daryl's side.

Seeing that he had found a packet of cigarettes somewhere inside she pulled one out of the cardboard carton and put it between her lips as he popped the hood of the minivan. Digging into the inner pocket of his vest she pulled out his lighter and lit the cigarette. Taking a deep drag she held it as long as possible before holding the cigarette out for Daryl to lip from her fingers while she let the burning smoke out of her lungs in a slow breath. He watched her breathe out the smoke with a dark glint in his eyes that sent heat coursing through her that stayed with her even when he turned back to the minivan's motor and started tinkering with it to get it started again.

Ignoring Bob as he walked toward them from where he had been talking with Tyreese and Michonne nearer the front of the garage, the small brunette took the cigarette from between her husband's lips and leaned into him, pressing her mouth to his to taste the smoke on his tongue before she pulled away and smiled, taking one more deep inhale of the yellow and white cylinder before she let Daryl take it back. His large hand slid around hers to take the cigarette between his fingers and she felt her heart flip-flop in her chest at his calloused but gentle touch. Knowing now was probably not the best time to think about how she wished they had some time alone, Tamara sighed and stepped back, revelling for as long as possible in the way Daryl watched her, the feelings she was experiencing mirrored in his intense blue eyes as they slid languidly up and down her body. After everything that had happened over the last three days, and the life they were all now leading, the small brunette knew that taking every opportunity to show Daryl and Emmy how she felt was important. And, if the dark promise in Daryl's eyes was anything to go by, he was feeling exactly what she was.

Moving away before she let her hormones get the better of her, Tamara walked over to where Tyreese and Michonne were sitting and sat cross-legged on the asphalt in front of them. Michonne sent her a knowing look before going back to the conversation she was having with Tyreese.

"How are you feeling?" Tyreese asked drawing Tamara's gaze from the small leaves she was examining to his still bruised but slowly healing face.

She shrugged, "Worried about Emmy but other than that I'm alright. What about you, sweetheart?"

The large man looked down at the cement under his feet and shook his head, "I'm just trying…it still doesn't feel real but that's our life now."

Tamara sighed and leaned forward, clasping his hand where it was hanging over his knees, "It might be our life now but that doesn't mean we have ta just accept it and ignore how we feel." She smiled up at him, "It's okay ta grieve and be angry and it's also okay ta want ta not feel for a while." He looked down at her listening as she continued, "But you also gotta let people back in so that we can help yah, darlin'."

He seemed to think about her words for a while before he nodded, "Yeah, okay."

She smiled at him again and squeezed his hand before looking up at the sound of the minivan's motor turning over and starting. Her smile widened at the sight of her husband clapping before he turned, put his thumb and first finger in his mouth and whistled to get Tyreese's, Michonne's and her attention.

Rolling her eyes, Tamara stood up, "He can't just call us like a normal person can he," she grumbled good-naturedly to Michonne.

"Hey," the taller woman smirked, "You married him."

Tamara shared her smirk, "Yeah, yeah, don't remind me."

Michonne hip-checked her as they followed Tyreese back to the vehicle and helped pack the trunk with the supplies they'd found in the small garage shop. Once the minivan was packed up, Tamara climbed into the back seat where half the supplies were on the floor and seat beside her while the other half were in the trunk and then Tyreese and Michonne sat in the middle two passenger seats while Daryl sat in the front and Bob drove.

The ride was silent and Tamara kept her thoughts of Emmy and Judith, as well as the others back at the prison at bay by humming softly to herself and keeping her eyes on the passing scenery. Every once in a while, if her face was close to the window on her right, and she looked down the gap between Michonne's seat and window, she would catch Daryl glancing in the side-view mirror trying to get a glimpse of her to make sure she was ok. Shaking her head after the third time she saw him do it, she made a promise to herself that as soon as they got back to their home she would make sure she was no longer contagious and that everyone that was sick had the medications they needed and then she and Daryl were going to spend some much needed time with Emmy before they slipped away together to their guard tower and stayed there for at least a night, alone.

They parked the van a few blocks away from the veterinary school when they arrived in the right town. Making their way quickly through the empty streets they kept as quiet as possible not knowing who or what was around. But once they got inside the school they were able to move a little quicker. They didn't meet anyone or any walkers inside and split up with Michonne and Bob finding the medication they needed while Daryl, Tyreese and Tamara moved off to find the tools and implements Hershel had written down for them to get.

Tamara moved quickly, always making sure she kept close to the other two as she filled a backpack with items off the list, making sure she got as many of them as she could before zipping up her bag quickly and taking out her pistol before following Daryl back to where they had left Michonne and Bob, Tyreese watching their backs and bringing up the rear.

Once back in the classroom lab where they had left Bob and Michonne, Tamara stood near the door as everyone double checked they had everything before they moved as a group out of the room and down the hall, back toward the exit.

They stopped near a broken door only to have two walkers inside see them. Quickly, they headed toward the exit and turned into a dark hallway before the walkers could catch up. There was debris and old cages and chairs scattered everywhere and Tamara kept close to Daryl's back as the group kept going down the hall looking for a way out. Daryl and Bob had to barricade the door they had just come through because it was broken and wouldn't shut and Tamara clenched her jaw, dread pooling in her belly.

As walkers started to claw and bang at the door they had just come through, Michonne motioned with her flashlight to a stairwell sign, "There," she said and led the group toward it.

About half way down the corridor a walker came out of nowhere and grabbed Tyreese but he managed to bash its brains in with his hammer before re-joining the group. The doors to the stairwell were chained shut, however, and the moment Michonne lifted the padlock, jangling the chains, walkers pushed at the other side, their grey skinned hands clawing out through the gap between the doors.

"How many?" Daryl asked Michonne.

The dark skinned woman sounded tense, "Can't tell."

Tamara started at the sound of wood scraping along the floor and everyone looked over to see that the cabinet Daryl and Bob had pushed against the other door was pushed out of the way by the walkers that had followed them and they stumbled into the corridor toward them.

Tyreese stepped past her and then looked at the others, "We can take them."

"No!" Bob snapped at him. "They're infected, same as at the prison. We fire at them, get their blood on us, breath it in; we didn't come all this way to get sick."

"How do we know the ones in there are any different?" Tyreese growled nodding towards the chained doorway.

"We don't," Michonne told him.

Daryl stepped forward, "Well, it's gotta change sometime," he said before grabbing the leg of a broken table and snapping it off.

He used it to leaver open the chained doors and Tamara stepped up to slam her buck knife into the head of one of the first walkers that shuffled through the doors as Michonne sliced the top of the head off another and Bob shot the third through the eye.

Quickly, the group made their way through the doors and jogged up the stairs to the next level only to find more walkers shuffling toward them from the other end of another hallway.

They tried doors as they got to the end of the hallway but they were trapped.

"Don't have an exit," Michonne said before turning to help Tamara take down more walkers.

"Then we make one," Daryl said before he climbed up onto a window ledge.

"Get down!" Tyreese yelled and then threw a fire extinguisher through one of the panes of glass.

Michonne grabbed Tamara and made sure she was first at the window. The small brunette grabbed Daryl's hand and Tyreese's as they helped he climb up onto the window ledge before she jumped to the orange leaf-covered metal awning over the walkway below the window. Turning she caught Michonne's arm as the taller woman jumped out of the window after her, Tyreese, then Daryl and then Bob following.

Bob wasn't lucky enough to land on his feet like everyone else and he fell flat on his belly, his rucksack hanging over the edge of the awning where a crowd of walkers was trapped behind a wrought-iron fence, their hands reaching up trying to grab him. A few managed to get a hold of his bag and he struggled to rip it from their grasps.

Tyreese and Daryl moved to hold him so that he wouldn't be pulled over the edge and Michonne and Tamara grabbed onto them so that they wouldn't go over either.

"Bob, let it go," Michonne ordered as Tamara kept a hold of the strap of the satchel Daryl had over his shoulder and across his body.

"Let it go, man. Just let it go," the larger man said panicked as Bob mindlessly struggled to hold onto the rucksack.

Daryl, feeling him slip a little closer to the edge, snapped, "Let go of the bag, man!"

Finally Bob pulled the bag up and over onto the awning again. It hit the metal with a clatter that didn't sound right and the neck of a bottle poked out through the rucksack's flap.

Daryl let go of Bob and walked over to it, going down to one knee to pull a bottle of whisky out of the bag. He stood silently and turned to Bob, "Go no meds in your bag, just this?" he asked looking at the other man through the long strands of his sweaty hair that had fallen over his eyes as he held up the bottle.

Tamara could see the anger growing in him as he stared Bob down.

"You shoulda kept walkin' that day," he snarled before turning and lifting the bottle to throw over the edge of the awning.

"Don't," Bob murmured and Tamara's stomach clenched with panic as his hand rested on the pistol in its holster at his hip.

She felt Tyreese move slightly so that she was behind him as Daryl stalked forward and into Bob's face. Bob kept his eyes down as Daryl took his gun and then grabbed the front of his shirt and vest with the hand that held the bottle of whiskey.

"Just let it go, Daryl," Tyreese said to him, "Man's made his choice. Nothing you can do about it. Just gotta let it go."

But Tamara knew why he was so enraged, his daddy had been a mean drunk and his Ma had loved her drink; they had put their booze above their sons using the money that they made, which should have gone toward food and power and to buying clothes for Daryl and Merle, to buying alcohol. Seeing that Daryl wasn't about to let Bob go, Tamara stepped around Tyreese and spoke softly, "Daryl."

Shoulders tense, Daryl dropped his hand from Bob's shirt-front and took a step away from him.

"I didn't wanna hurt nobody," Bob shook his head, his eyes still on the metal under their feet, his voice wavering with fear and emotion, "It was just for when it gets quiet."

Daryl smacked the bottle against Bob's chest holding it there and leaning in to snarl, "You take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will beat yer ass into the ground," at Bob's silence he pushed the bottle roughly against his chest again before letting it go, "Yah hear me?" he waited for a breath before turning and moving to Tamara, spinning her around and making sure she walked in front of him while he made his way to where he had dropped his crossbow and supply bag, tucking the pistol he had taken off Bob into the back of the waistband of her jeans and pulling her shirt over it as he did. He then climbed down the side of the awning and then helped the others down before turning away as Bob clambered down.

The group made its way silently back to the minivan and put the backpacks into the trunk. Michonne and Tyreese then spread the map out on the hood of the vehicle to plan a route back to the prison while Bob walked over to lean against a building a yard or so away and smoke a cigarette. Tamara watched Daryl slump into the front passenger seat, his foot up on the dash. Walking over to him she bent down and watched him roll the piece of jasper he had found between his fingers, his eyes staring sightlessly at it.

"I know yer angry at him because he put himself before the group, Daryl, but he made sure we had all the meds before he did it," she murmured knowing it would making him angrier but that he also needed to hear it.

Daryl's intense gaze flashed to hers and his jaw clenched tight, "I don't need yah ta tell me that, woman," he growled lowly so that none of the others could hear.

Annoyance flashed through Tamara at his bad-tempered tone and she reached out and grabbed his chin as he went to look away, making sure he kept his eyes on her, "Listen ta me, Daryl Dixon, right now I got enough ta worry about without having ta fret about you goin' all moody on me."

His eyes narrowed and she saw the warning not to push him in his navy eyes, "I ain't gonna say this again, 'Mara. Yah leave me be and go an' sit in the van 'fore I get real mad."

She knew he was likely to snap if she pushed any more but she couldn't bear to have him pull away from her like he was doing now and so she silenced the voice in her head warning her to leave well enough alone and leaned into his space, pressing her forehead to his temple as he turned back to staring sullenly at the shard of green jasper in his hand, "I love you, Daryl. Even if yer angry as hell and yah won't talk ta me." She pulled away slightly and brushed her lips over his stubble-roughened cheek, "Don't shut me out, baby." Pulling away she moved to the open sliding door on the side of the minivan and climbed into the back seat once again.

She heard Tyreese and Michonne wrapping up their discussion on a way home.

"That's where I was travelling, highway 100," Tyreese said.

Michonne hummed in agreement, "Then it'll take about seven hours to get there. We're gonna need more gas."

Tyreese folded up the map, "But we'll get there." He rounded the car and made his way past where Daryl was sitting, "Taking highway 100."

"I heard," Daryl grumbled as Michonne got into the driver's seat.

She stopped and seemed to be thinking about something before she spoke, her eyes on the scenery out the windscreen, "You were right, what you said before. About the trail going cold," she took a breath shaking her head, "I don't need to go out anymore."

Daryl glanced at her and then reached out to slam his door shut, "Good."

Tamara leaned her elbow on the window beside her and covered her face with her hand, tears gathering in her eyes as the adrenalin from the last few days wore off and exhaustion settled into her limbs making them heavy and her eyelid droop.

They had finished what they set out to do but now they had a seven hour journey back to the prison and who knew what awaited them there.


	7. Chapter 7

Carl met the minivan at the inner gate near the open courtyard outside C Block. Seeing him Tamara was tempted to relax only to see the three score or so of walker corpses strewn over the cement of the courtyard when Michonne stopped the car inside the gate. Tyreese was out of the van before it had even stopped and was looking at a blood-stained Rick, "Sasha. How's Sasha?"

Rick shook his head, "I don't know, sorry."

"Well, hey," Daryl got the taller man's attention, "Get in there, we got this." He grabbed his crossbow as Tyreese sprinted for A Block and Tamara, Michonne and Rick followed Daryl toward the downed fences near the bottom of the dog-run. Bob ran with the medication to A Block to start dosing the sick.

As soon as the fences were propped up and the build-up of walkers at the dog-run fence was culled and had thinned out a little, Tamara went up toward the prison buildings and stopped near the cantina. Turning to look out at the prison field with its vegetable beds and stables, and then the fence and woods beyond, the small brunette took a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching as the sky started to brighten and pink and soft purple spread across the horizon. Taking a moment to let go of everything that had happened in the last few days she then turned and made her way inside, visiting Hershel who was back in C Block with his hair still damp from a shower, who told her that if she hadn't shown any symptoms within the twenty-four to forty-eight hours since she had been exposed, she wasn't going to come down with the sickness and she wasn't contagious anymore. Tears filling her eyes, she swallowed hard and smiled her thanks noticing how exhausted and sad the old man looked.

"Thank you," she whispered softly to him.

He looked at her with his kind blue eyes and reached out to squeeze her hand, "Brian was one of the first to die of the sickness," he told her softly.

Tamara looked away, a rush of calm, cruel thankfulness, and guilt moving through her at his words, "Am I…" she stopped and tried to form her sentence again, "Is it a sin ta say I'm thankful?" she asked looking up at the man who had become the closest thing to a father she had ever known.

Hershel took a moment to think of his answer, "Are you happy he's dead because of what he did to you or because of what Daryl would have done if he was still alive?"

Tucking a lock of her long, dark hair behind her ear, Tamara shrugged and then made herself voice the truth, "I'm glad he's dead because of what he did but I'm thankful because it means Daryl won't become a murderer for me."

When she was looking up guiltily at him again, Hershel smiled comfortingly, his hand patting hers, "Then you shouldn't feel guilty. The Lord's plan is a mystery but he does have a plan and Brian's death was a part of it, as terrible as that sounds."

Nodding, Tamara hugged him and then pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Thank you," she murmured again in his ear before rising from where she had been sitting beside him at the table in the middle of the common area in C Block and walking out of the building to go and get Emmy, Max and Nell from the administration building where they had been staying.

Nell was already leading Max out of the building, Emmy on her hip, when the small brunette got to the small building. Tamara saw them walking toward her and she couldn't stop from running to the taller woman and catching Emmy up in her arms, holding the little girl tightly to her chest. She realised she was crying when a large hand brushed through her hair and she turned to see Daryl smiling the small, shy smile she loved. Stepping into him, the brunette melted into him, their child between them, Daryl's strong arms holding his wife and daughter tight to his chest. Emmy clung to them both, her small hands twisted into Tamara's hair while she squirmed to press her face to her daddy's neck, nuzzling into him until his hand came up and rested on the back of her head as he held her.

The couple stepped back with Daryl taking Emmy from Tamara's arms and then sliding his hand around hers to lead them both back to their cell. Once there he pulled the curtain in place and let go of Tamara's hand to take his crossbow off his shoulder and lay it down beside their bed. Knowing what he wanted, Tamara took Emmy from his arms as he sat on the edge of their bed and pulled off his boots, his buck knife in its sheath was unclipped from his belt and put down on the small crate they used as a bedside table. He laid it beside the paperback novel he had been reading and Tamara's hairbrush. His leather vest dropped on top of the small pile and then he settled with his back to the cement block wall and reached out for Emmy. Tamara gave her to him and copied him, laying her knife and pistol under his vest and then toeing off her boots before she crawled over the mattress and took their little girl into her arms before she sat back against his chest. Sighing, the small brunette unbuttoned her shirt and lifted her tank-top before she unhooked the cup of her maternity bra and settled Emmy to feed. The baby girl didn't really need to eat but it was a comfort thing for both her and Tamara and after the horror and separation of the last few days, Emmy latched on quickly and began to swallow greedily.

Hearing Daryl sigh and feeling him relax behind her, Tamara laid her head back against his shoulder, her finger stroking the rounded cheek of the baby at her breast as sleepiness and comfort stole over her.

"I love yah, 'Mara," Daryl murmured gruffly in her ear, his large hands and thick fingers gliding through her hair, "Yah 'nd Lil Bit."

Smiling, finally content, Tamara let her eyes slide closed, "I love you too, Daryl. Yah and Emmy are my whole world."

They spent over an hour just sitting there, calm and comfortable, revelling in having survived everything life had thrown at them and in being able to see their little girl again.

Once Emmy had a full belly and was fast asleep, Tamara let Daryl lay them both down on the bed facing the cot where he had placed Emmy's small sleeping form, his body curled around hers. Sleep came easily and she let herself fall into the warm, soft darkness of it.


	8. Chapter 8

"You should have woken me up," Tamara sighed at Daryl as she pulled on her boots. He had let her sleep until the late afternoon and now she realised that all the other able-bodied people of their small family had been cleaning up the walker corpses and making sure the rest of the prison was running smoothly while she had been sleeping away the day.

Daryl leaned into her when she stood up, Emmy sitting in her cot beside them, playing with her teddy bear and three wooden blocks Daryl had whittled for her wit on them, "Yah needed ta sleep and I weren't about ta make yah get up and do work when ya were dog-tired," he gruffly told her.

Propping her fists on her hips, Tamara lifted an eyebrow and stared him down, "I'm not the only one that's dog-tired, Dixon. I shouldn't have special treatment just because yah think I should."

His gaze sparked with heat when she stood up to him and Tamara felt a jolt of need sear through her blood and settle low in her belly, "Yah were tired so yah slept, girl. Ain't nothin' more ta say about it."

Biting her bottom lip, Tamara reached out and slid one hand up his chest from his stomach to his shoulder and then around and up his neck so that her fingers twisted into the long hair at the nape of his neck. Lowering her voice she dropped her gaze to his lips, "If I don't get yah alone soon, Daryl, I won't be held responsible for my actions."

His quick grin and large hand palming her ass made her look up into his eyes as they darkened to navy while she watched, "Tonight, darlin'," he promised, "We'll go up ta our tower and spend the night."

"Promise?" she asked breathlessly.

He leaned in, his mouth a moment away from hers, "Promise, girl."

When their lips met it felt like they hadn't kissed in days and within a few seconds, Daryl's hand was sliding under her t-shirt as she moaned into his mouth and pressed hard against him.

The sound of Emmy talking baby-nonsense to herself in her cot had them pulling away slowly, their chests heaving to try and catch their breath as Tamara righted her shirt and turned to lift their daughter out of her cot and set her on her hip. "See yah out at our tower when it's dark, Dixon," she smiled before slipping past him and out of the cell before he could drag her back in for another heart-pounding kiss.

The rest of the day went quickly after that. Tamara helped feed those that were healthy enough to leave A Block and the others that were trying to clean up the yard and fix the fences after the breach by walkers the night before. Once that was finished she left Emmy with Nell and Max and took some hot porridge and jerky to those that were still healing from the sickness and couldn't leave A Block yet, Glenn being one of them.

"How's Glenn doing?" She asked Maggie who had come to the door of A Block to take the large pot full of steaming oats from Tamara, Lizzie taking the stack of bowls and spoons from Carl who had volunteered to help the small brunette carry the food to the sick.

The taller woman smiled quickly, "He's gettin' stronger an' stronger every day."

Breathing out a sigh, Tamara nodded, "That's so good, sweetheart."

Maggie looked her over, "Is everyone else okay?"

Nodding Tamara slid her hands into the pockets of her jeans, "Yeah, no one else has come down with the sickness 'nd Hershel said that now that yah all have the medication, the deaths have stopped all together."

Maggie looked tired but happy, "I better get back with this food," she motioned to the pot in her hands, "Give Emmy a kiss from me."

Tamara's smile widened into a happy grin, "I'll do that, take care of yerself and that husband of yours, darlin'."

With a nod, the younger woman turned and walked back into A Block, closing the door behind Lizzie and herself before moving away to hand out bowls of porridge and jerky strips.

As dusk fell on the prison, Tamara sighed, taking Emmy to her and Daryl's cell and settling the little girl to sleep before speaking softly to Beth, asking the blonde to check in on the little girl. When she agreed, Tamara readied a small bag with some food and water and grabbed a blanket. Slipping out of C Block she saw Daryl leaning against the side of their guard tower as she walked down the small incline toward him. The red cherry of a lit cigarette hanging between his lips shone in the gathering darkness and he had his crossbow leaning against the wall behind him, his large buck knife and a whet stone in his hands as he sharpened the blade. His left foot was braced flat against the wall at his back and in the dim light she could see that his eyes and a lot of his face was obscured by the tangle of his grown out hair. She bit her lip and admired the way his broad shoulders were emphasized by his grey-green shirt with its ripped out sleeves. He wasn't wearing his leather vest with its angel wings sewn into the back and he had lost a button at the bottom of the shirt, exposing a triangle of sun-kissed skin and part of the dark line of hair that ran from below his navel down past his belt and the waistband of his ripped work pants. Biting her lip she felt a tingle of heat race down her spine and it only strengthened when he looked up at the sound of her soft footsteps and slid his whet stone into his back pocket before he clipped his knife into its sheath at his hip.

"Yer early, Dixon," she murmured cheekily stopping within his reach, "Impatient?"

His eyes slid down her form, and the shiver of heat turned into a jolt of passion singing through her blood before he pushed off the wall and caught up his bow. Slinging the strap across his chest so that the weapon sat snuggly against his back, he dropped the butt of his cigarette to the cement and ground it out under his boot. She watched him step forward and he twisted his hand into her dark waves before jerking her against his hard chest and slanting his mouth over hers possessively. She eagerly tasted the smoke on his tongue.

When he pulled away he looked down at her like a man that had been starved for too long, "What do yah think, woman?"

Tamara moaned and pressed as close to him as she could, "Take me ta bed, Daryl."

He growled at her words and kissed her breathless again before he turned and wrapped a large calloused hand around her own and then led her into their tower. They made it up to the small room at the top of the tower before he pounced. Tamara barely had enough time to drop her backpack and then Daryl was pressing her against the rough plaster beside the huge windows lining every wall of the lookout tower.

"Someone's gonna see us, Daryl," she gasped out as his lips slipped to her neck and his work-hardened hands slid under the hem of her shirt and tank top.

He ignored her, marking her neck before he pulled her hard against his chest and growled, "This shirt's mine, girl. Take it off."

Breathless with need, Tamara reached up and unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing, sliding it off her shoulders and dropping it to the floor at their feet, the grey tank top she had on underneath joining it a moment later. Daryl's mouth claimed hers as soon as she dropped the garments and he turned them both, wrapped a muscle-hardened arm around her waist and walked her backward until her heels hit the edge of their mattress. They sunk down onto the soft pallet, still intertwined and Tamara moaned as his hand slid from her hip, over her waist and ribs, to cup her breast and kneed it eagerly.

He only broke away to grab the collar of his shirt with one hand and drag his shirt over his head. Heart pounding, Tamara reached for his belt, unbuckling it as he sucked and licked at the pulse point on the side of her neck and the sensitive flesh behind her ear.

The rest of their clothes were shed quickly and then there was nothing but the two of them and their love.

A few hours later, Tamara was curled into Daryl's side as he sat staring out the windows at the multitudes of stars strewn across the velvet black of the sky, "What are yah thinkin' about?" she asked softly, her fingers drawing random patterns into the warm skin of his chest and stomach as she marvelled at how much heat he always seemed to throw out.

He chewed at the inside of his lip for a moment and then laced his fingers through her hair when he answered, "Rick sent Carol away."

The abrupt way he said those words made Tamara's heart squeeze in worry. Sitting up she clasped the bed sheet to her chest and looked at him, "What? Why?"

He dropped his eyes to her, the darkness shadowing them so that she couldn't read his emotions, "She killed Karen and David to try and stop the sickness from spreading. Tyreese don't know so we gotta just leave it alone."

Tears started to build in Tamara's eyes and she felt panic well up inside her, "But she's gotta come back. She's all alone out there, Daryl. Do yah know what happens ta women when they ain't got a group?"

His face darkened and he sat up fully and wrapped his hands around her upper arms keeping her focus on him so he could keep her as calm as possible, "She's strong, girl. She's gonna be fine."

A tear slid down Tamara's cheeks and she closed her eyes as her breathing quickened, "We have to go get her back, Daryl. She's family."

Helplessly he pulled her into his arms and held her tight to him, "I'm sorry, darlin'," he muttered into her ear as she trembled against him on the verge of losing control completely and dissolving into sobs. Slowly she calmed down until she was just sniffling against his chest every so often and Daryl pulled back to look her in the eyes, his finger crooked under her chin, "She's gonna be fine, darlin'," he stared into her eyes intently so that she would believe him, "We're gonna see her again."

Tamara nodded silently and then moved forward to kiss him, needing the reassurance of his touch and the feel of him drawing her down to the mattress again to calm the nightmares and worry threatening to resurface and overwhelm her.

Early the next morning they redressed and made their way back to C Block never noticing the lone dark figure that stood at the treeline near the front gate watching and waiting.


End file.
